Tom Hanks' first directorial effort since 1996's That Thing You Do!, Larry Crowne follows the title character (Hanks) as he enrolls at a local community college after being fired from his retail job - with the movie subsequently detailing Larry's journey of self-discovery as he befriends a group of students and eventually falls for a teacher (Julia Roberts' Mercedes). There's little doubt that Hanks does a superb job of capturing the viewer's interest right from the get-go, as the filmmaker opens the proceedings with an irresistibly peppy credits montage that effectively (and immediately) transforms Hanks' affable character into a sympathetic, thoroughly compelling protagonist. (It certainly doesn't hurt that Hanks hasn't been this effortlessly charming and personable within a live-action context since 1998's You've Got Mail.) And although the first half of the movie is often bogged down by the aggressive quirkiness of Hanks and Nia Vardalos' script - there's a sitcom-like feel to many of the jokes and gags - Hanks' pervasively easygoing modus operandi ultimately proves effective at compensating for the sporadically less-than-authentic nature of certain elements within the screenplay (eg Larry's neighbor, Cedric the Entertainer's Lamar, is operating a perpetual yard sale). There's little doubt, however that the film does improve steadily as it progresses, as Hanks offers up a comparatively down-to-earth third act that boasts a number of heartfelt and surprisingly emotional moments - with the feel-good finish cementing Larry Crowne's place as a breezy, consistently engaging piece of work. (It's also worth noting that the film's complete and total absence of cynicism is actually fairly refreshing in these sardonic times.)